This is a judgement-free zone: If you’re a grownup and still have a soft spot for crispy fish sticks, we’ve got a whole list of homemade fish stick recipes here that will satisfy your craving for this childhood favorite.
You’ll probably want to make your homemade fish sticks with cod, but our pollock Quick Cuts would work with any of these recipes as well, leaving you with nuggets rather than sticks; pollock, after all, is what many store-bought fish sticks use because it’s plentiful, firm, and mild in flavor. And as always, wild-caught Alaskan cod and pollock are a sustainable choice for seafood meals.
Ranging from classic to complex to uniquely crusted, here are a handful of fish stick recipes that are sophisticated enough for grownups to feel good about, but easy enough for everyone in the family to enjoy.
Classic Takes
Simply the act of using high-quality fish to make classic fish sticks from scratch turns your meal into something fit for grownups.
These panko-crusted fish sticks from Bon Appetit are so classic that you can actually make them halfway and freeze them at that point so that they’re breaded and ready to cook, straight from your own freezer bag or freezer-safe container.
Alton Brown’s recipe for fish sticks goes the extra mile and has you mince up the fillet so that you have something more akin in texture to freezer-aisle fish sticks, rather than whole strips of fish that have been battered and fried.
Using a super hot oven, these parmesan-and-breadcrumb crusted fish sticks from Giada de Laurentiis get super crispy and golden in no time. You’ll want to serve these with a side of marinara sauce, to complement the flavors in the breading.
For classic fish sticks that aren’t fried, try Serious Eats’ recipe for “oven-fried” fish sticks. The trick with these is to give them a spritz with cooking spray so that they’re panko breading is lightly coated in fat for a crispy, light exterior.
Flavor Tweaks
If the classic fish stick is a little too vanilla for you, or if you simply want to change things up, you can use spices and sauces to recast them with a new, more complex flavor profile.
From Rachael Ray’s In Season, a quick marination in a vinegar brine made with garlic, oregano, bay leaves, and thyme really amplifies the fact that these are grownup fish sticks. They’re then dredged in flour spiked with cumin and paprika, adding yet another dimension of taste that you’ll appreciate, without straying too far from the idea of classic fish sticks.
These fish sticks from Food Network are themselves pretty standard -- battered, fried cod -- but they get an Asian fusion twist by being served with a ginger-broccoli rice and a sweet and spicy Thai chili sauce.
A zesty lime-tarragon aioli, made with oil that’s been infused with crushed garlic, elevates these panko-crusted fish sticks from Food52. You could also enjoy these sticks and aioli on a roll as a fried fish finger sandwich.
Even combining dried, ground herbs with flour to dredge your fish can really go a long way in building flavor into your sticks. This recipe from How Sweet Eats uses lemon pepper, smoked, paprika, garlic powder, and fresh lemon zest to lend your fish sticks some citrusy, savory spice. They’re then breaded in panko and potato chips, which gives them a fried flavor profile despite being baked. And for a dip, you’ll make a spicy jalapeno tartar sauce.
Changing Up the Crust
Depending on your taste, or perhaps due to your dietary needs, you can revamp the humble fish stick by changing up the crust to another crispy, crunchy alternative.
The Domestic Dietitian introduces complex carbs to your fish sticks by substituting regular breadcrumbs for whole wheat breadcrumbs. In addition, rather than dredging the fish in regular flour, you can use almond flour to cut down on the gluten content and add a modest amount of healthy fats to the mix. To complete the healthy makeover, these fish sticks are baked.
You can still enjoy extra crunchy fish sticks if you’re following a keto dietary protocol. Rather than using a nut-based substitute for breading, these fish sticks from The Castaway Kitchen are rolled in a “pork panko,” made from crushed pork rinds aka chicharrones. The pork panko adds both crunch and fat content to the recipe, as well as another savory layer of flavor to the sticks.
For another gluten-free alternative, these cod bites from Lydia’s Flexitarian Kitchen are first dredged in rice flour, then dipped into an egg-coconut milk mixture before being rolled in shredded coconut to create a crust that is both substantial and uniquely flavorful. You could serve these with a spicy mango salsa to complement the sticks’ tropical-esque flavor profile.
Have a box of instant potato flakes taking up space in your pantry? Put those flakes to use as a super crispy breading for these fish sticks from Food & Wine.
